


a moment into memory

by Marishna



Series: Advent Calendar 2016 [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Tree, Derek get a hobby, Derek's Loft, Evolved Derek Hale, Future Fic, Gen, Mentions of Allison Argent - Freeform, Mentions of Erica Reyes, Mentions of Venon Boyd, POV Stiles, Symbolism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 16:17:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8760193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marishna/pseuds/Marishna
Summary: Not long after Derek returned to Beacon Hills he started carving things out of wood.  One day Stiles showed up at the loft and Derek appeared to have a new hobby.  Maybe his first but Stiles never asked and didn't want to make a joke out of it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Fullmoon_ficlet "arrow" on LiveJournal. Got a big schlocky, imo, but that's my brain. I just had an image of the ornaments in my head and went from there.

Not long after Derek returned to Beacon Hills he started carving things out of wood.  One day Stiles showed up at the loft and Derek appeared to have a new hobby.  Maybe his first but Stiles never asked and didn't want to make a joke out of it. 

He always wanted to question Derek about it for the longest time but the more he watched Derek's capable hands work pieces of wood into tiny works of art and the calm it seem to bring him he stopped caring.  Stiles would sit outside on the fire escape with Derek in the summer evenings talking about nothing and everything and listen to Beacon Hills shift its track from day to night.

He didn't fully know what Derek did with the finished products but he would sometimes see the small figurines appear in innocuous places.  Small amulets and things that appeared to act as good luck charms.  A sigil Stiles learned was used in warding spells on a shelf behind some pictures in Scott's house.  A cricket at Lydia's that he learned later was believed to warn for danger. Acorns and four leaf clovers and other seemingly innocuous carvings caught Stiles' eye everywhere. All seemed to carry some significance involving safety, protection, and luck for those Derek silently held close.

He didn't see any at his own house but he figured Derek knew Stiles was watching him and hid them a bit better. Stiles felt strangely better knowing that Derek was watching out for him.

It took a few years of trial and error but by the end of the pack's first cohesive year together Stiles felt an incredible sense of accomplishment.  He could feel contentment from all corners of their group and that, for the first time, they had a handle on their lives.

Stiles wasn't sure what he was expecting when they all arrived at Derek's loft for their own pack Christmas dinner.  Something like every other pack meeting but probably with way more food and if he were a betting man he would have won.

Stiles arrived with Scott but soon they were joined by Liam and Hayden, followed immediately by Lydia.  Stiles looked around the loft while everyone else gradually arrived and started settling in and noticed Derek's attempt at decorating.  There were a few strands of lights here and there with a couple sprigs of holly but the main attraction was the tall tree standing in the corner fully dressed.

Stiles stepped closer to examine it and felt a zing of warmth run through him when he noticed that nestled amongst the shiny decorative bulbs and soft lights were small wood carvings on red string.  He recognized some that he saw Derek working on, others were brand new to him.  They were hung to be easily camouflaged amongst the other decorations and Stiles was willing to bet no one else would notice them.

Stiles searched the tree, winding his way around it, looking for each one like clues.  When he got to the back he saw a small cluster of the carvings hung further in the tree and better hidden.  He didn't touch them but leaned in close for a better look.

The first one was a carving of his triskele but two of the whorls were curled differently from the third and Stiles realized with a start that they represented Derek and his sisters.  The next carving was a claw, delicate but strong and Stiles was willing to bet that if he tried to touch the tip it would come close to cutting him.  He felt Erica's presence represented in that one.

A regal looking lion head was Boyd, through and through.  If it came to life Stiles was sure he would feel a quiet, calm strength emanating from it. 

The last one was an arrow.  It was the one that caused Stiles' mouth to twist and he had to take a deep breath to tamp down on his feelings. 

"Yo, Stiles!" Scott called out.  Stiles looked up and saw the whole pack arrived and were ready to sit at the long table Derek somehow tracked down for their meal with an assortment of mismatched chairs.  "You ready?  Everyone's here!"

Stiles caught Derek's eyes across the room and he nodded and said simply, "Yeah."


End file.
